Chapters
by Dalukes
Summary: AU. Advanceshipping. Ash Ketchum is a struggling author. May Maple moves in next door. Will Ash continue to struggle with writing, or will he finally find the inspiration he's been looking for? T. May up to M in later chapters for language. NOTE: Chapter 9 is up!
1. Chapter 1: Writer's Block

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any related franchises. I am merely an overexcited consumer willing to put my ideas on the table.**

Crink. Crink. Crink.

One by one pages of paper are crumbled up and hit the wall, slowly fluttering into the wastebasket below **,** which was beginning to overflow.

Crink.

The room was darkened. The only light was from a single lamp on a desk. Multiple shattered pencils litter the desk, as do wrappings of multiple packages of loose leaf paper.

Crink.

The young man sat at his desk, head in his hands. Groaning, he takes another piece of paper and begins to write. Thirty seconds in, he crumpled it up.

"No, no, no! All wrong!" He yelled, throwing the ball into the wastebasket.

Crink.

It hits the mountain up top and knocked it over, causing an avalanche of paper to cascade down.

"Dammit!" The man yells. He cradles his head again.

"Why won't this work?"

The truth is, it hasn't worked for the last three months. Ash Ketchum had become what he'd always feared in literary school. A failure of a writer.

Ash stood up. His black hair was unruly, his hat off and to the side of the desk. His jeans, which were littered with pencil shavings, emptied their passengers onto the floor. His black shirt glistened with lead. His face was grizzled, hairs sprouting up all over his face.

He ran his hands through his hair. Checking his watch, he noticed it was 4:26. He hadn't had lunch yet.

Sighing, he shuffled down the stairs of his two-story house. In school, he was a prodigy. His professors called him brilliant. And he worked hard. So much so that he graduated at age 20.

Now he struggled to write a full paragraph.

It wasn't that it was difficult. Given anything, Ash could write about it. Full length novels in middle school were unheard of.

Turning on the light to the kitchen, Ash made his way to the fridge, which had become bare, save for enough milk to make a bowl of cereal. Sighing in defeat, the man took it out along with a bowl and cereal.

Defeatedly, Ash ate his cereal in silence. The only sound was that of the clock on the wall.

He took a note from a notepad and scribbled "Buy groceries" on it, sticking it to the fridge. He'd remember that tomorrow.

He glanced over to his phone. "I should probably call someone to see if that helps, eh, Pikachu?"

A cat-sized yellow mouse emerged from underneath the table, red cheeks contorted into a frown. "Pika."

Ash nodded, pushing the bowl away from him and reaching for the phone.

He stopped, realizing he didn't know who to call. "Uh, Pikachu, who should I call?"

It seemed as if the yellow mouse was actually thinking, before scurrying over and sitting underneath a picture of a blue-haired woman.

"Dawn?" Ash asked aloud. The girl was a good two years younger than him, enrolled in the foreign Sinnoh's Twinleaf Community College.

Dawn Berlitz-Ketchum had an interesting backstory. At the age of four, her single mother, a close friend of Ash's mother, died in a car crash, leaving Dawn orphaned. Ash's mother took her in as her own, caring for her as her own daughter. Ash, six, quickly accepted the girl as his sister.

Her blue hair wasn't her only feature that differed her from Ash, though. She had paler skin, blue eyes, and stood a good foot shorter than him at four foot eleven.

Sighing, Ash decided to call his sister. After a few rings, the girl to all picked up.

"Ash?" She asked. It sounded like there was loud music in the background.

"Dawn?" Ash asked, "Are you at a party?"

"No..." Came a reply.

Ash shook his head. "Anyway- I just want to know what's going on with you."

He could tell she moved away from the party, because the music dulled. "Why do you want to know?"

"I just wanna know how my sis is doing." He lied.

There was a pause. She saw right through him. "Ash. I know you're struggling. You sound depressed. Is it your writing?"

"Uh..." Ash didn't know how to respond.

Dawn sighed on the other side of the phone. "Ash. I may not be an author, but I know one thing. When you lose your spark, it's hard for you to do anything. Maybe all you need is to get new inspiration from somewhere. I don't know where that inspiration is, but you'll find it bro."

Ash sighed. "Sure. Everyone says that. Nothing's changed."

Dawn sighed on the other end of the line. "Look. You'll find it. I promise. No need to worry. Anyway, has anyone bought Gary's old house?"

"No." Ash answered. His best friend Gary used to live in the house next to his, but after his sister Daisy was involved in a car accident, he moved closer to the hospital.

"Aw, that's too bad." Dawn mourned. "Oh, Look. I gotta call you later, Kenny's looking at me."

Ash listened as the girl cut off the call abruptly before he even had a chance to ask who this "Kenny" was.

He cast a look at Pikachu. The mouse was shrugging.

Silently, the man stood up. "I'm gonna go get some fresh air, Pikachu."

The mouse scurried off somewhere. Ash chuckled. The little guy didn't like the outdoors, possibly because of the Spearows. While most animals would love a chance to go outside and mess around, Pikachu was different. Ash found him basically on his doorstep after he was spooked by something. Ash presumed it was the Spearows.

Ash found his blue jacket and walked through his house to the front door, turning off the kitchen light as he left.

The cool Kanto autumn breeze his him as soon as he exited the house. Despite the mood he was in previously, it was enough to bring a smile to his face.

Pidgeys chirped as he decided he needed to take a walk. His mind wandered each time his shoe hit the pavement.

He remembered his college days. His best friend Brock was a senior when Ash graduated, but he never received any messages from the tanned hopeless romantic.

His other friend, Gary, had cared out better. Living halfway across town, he and Ash managed to meet up every once and a while. The guy had already been married twice, but despite his joking and narcissistic nature, he could be a real help.

Next was Misty. Ash was pretty sure she'd just had her third child with Tracy Sketchit, another good friend of Ash's. he sometimes visited. He loved to see old friends again.

The thought of seeing old friends got Ash thinking more. "What if I go see them? Will I get that spark back?"

Debating with himself, Ash nearly tripped over himself on a crack in the sidewalk. He blamed Kanto's weird temperatures.

Being in the center of the world, near the north, Kanto was oceanside, receiving hot summers and cold winters. Ash silently cursed the misfortune of his hometown, a small farming community named Pallet, where his feet hit the ground currently.

Reaching the end of the sidewalk, he looked up from his shoes to look upon the hills that gave Pallet its' fame. They stretched like a bed sheet far inland towards the nearby Viridian Forest, and further towards Viridian City.

Smiling, he took out his notebook. Countless pages had been sketched in or torn out because of constant failure. Reaching a new, clean page, Ash reached for his pencil.

"This is it! Yes!" Just before the lead met the page, however, he stopped.

The creative juices stopped flowing. Yet another well run dry.

Disappointed, Ash stared at the pencil in his open hand. The bright green grass underneath his hand almost made the pencil in his hand seem dimmer than it actually was.

Sighing, Ash clutched the pencil and lightly tucked it back into his pocket. He'd find inspiration some other day.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he slowly shuffled his way back to his home, careful not to trip on any annoying crevices the sidewalk may have had lying in wait for him.

His eyes stared downward. He'd decided at a young age that writing and authoring was what he wanted to do.

"I lied to myself." He found himself murmuring. Truly, he did feel as if he was dishonest to his younger self by being so slow with writing. He knew writing novels and books was a slow process; he'd learned that in middle school. But now, older, he felt as if thoughts should come to him easier.

Right?

He mentally slapped himself. What was he doing? He was a strong man, one who followed suit through his ideals. He was not going to cry and call himself a failure just because of a while with no ideas. Such was the norm in the writing community: a long period with no ideas.

Slowly approaching his front door, he strode in with an air of something lost, not even remembering why he left his house in the first place.

Slowly, he deflated on his couch. His TV remained off.

"Nothing interesting on," he'd always say.

Sadly, he closed his eyes. He hadn't slept the night before, and he could virtually feel the bags underneath his eyes.

Seconds passed by with the only sound being the ticking of the clock. Seconds slowly turned into minutes. After a while of lazing around on the couch, Ash's somber slumber was torched to a screening halt.

There was a ring from the doorbell.

Ash sat up immediately. Normally, some person trying to sell something would be here at this time of the week. But something was different about this knock.

There would be a knock if someone was trying to sell something. His doorbell even looked like a part of the doorframe itself.

He stood up. The only other people who knew that were friends and family, and they didn't like to wait. Especially his mother.

Quickly making sure he didn't look like he'd just been asleep for 42 minutes, which was difficult, he opened the door.

This woman was definitely not Gary. Definitely not Brock. Not Misty or his mother.

This woman was different. She had long brown hair that stretched to her mid-back, a red blouse, and navy blue biker shorts on. Her dress code was not what made Ash's gears stop turning, though. It was her face.

Her skin was a warm cream color, perfectly accentuated by a pair of stunning sea blue eyes. Her mouth was twisted into a surprisingly honest, pearl white smile.

"Hello." She greeted. "I'm May, and I just moved in next door."


	2. Chapter 2: New Ink

**I'm honestly surprised at how well received this story is already. Honestly, I've had the idea for this story for a long time, so to see it work makes me really happy. I'll work real hard on it from here on out. Thanks again!**

 **I'm always open to questions, so if you have any, leave them in or with a review. It helps bunches!**

* * *

It took May giggling for Ash to finally realize he'd been staring.

He snapped back to his senses. "Oh, I'm sorry. Welcome to Pallet! If you're new here, I mean..."

Mentally, he cursed himself for his stuttering.

She giggled again. "It's fine. Yeah, I'm new here. And thank you!"

She shoved her hand out to shake, and Ash took it. He ignored the awkward feeling in his chest and stepped back.

He rubbed the back of his head. "Well, uh, if you ever need anything, then I'm here."

May smiled. "Why, thanks, Mister..." Her eyes squinted as she tried to remember if she caught his name.

"Ash," he answered. "My name is Ash."

"Thanks," she said again while walking off the front porch. "I'll see you later. Ash."

She gave a little wave, and was off. Ash waved back awkwardly before shutting the front door behind him.

He stared at the back of the door mere inches from his nose. So many things were running through his mind he had no idea how to deal with.

He turned slowly to see Pikachu staring at him with a look of concern.

"No, Pikachu," Ash said, hands waving. "I'm not sick."

Still, Ash put his hand to his forehead. No temperature. "What?"

The mouse cocked his head, curious. As if sighing, the mouse made a little sound and bounded towards the couch. Sitting on it like a human would, the mouse patted the spot next to him.

Ignoring the slightly familiar alien feeling, Ash laughed. "Sure bud. I'll pet you."

* * *

Deciding to skip supper, sleep came like a thief in the night for Ash. His thought-laden head was glad to have a place to rest in the darkened room filled with the paper balls that almost objectified themselves as failures.

Still, it didn't allow him to sleep anywhere past nine in the morning.

Groaning, Ash awoke and grimly detached himself from the bed. A short walk downstairs reminded him of his lack of food.

Groaning more prominently this time, the man grudgingly put on his blue jacket and hat and slammed his front door behind him, awaking Pikachu.

The morning was cold. The sun had been up for about thirty minutes, and the grass was gleaming with dew. Any normal person would graciously bask in the picture.

Ash just pushed on through. It was a shame, he may have found inspiration from that. Nope.

Eyes downward a few feet in front of his shoes, Ash slowly made his way off of his driveway and onto one of the many sidewalks that populated Pallet.

He eyed the sidewalk, indifferent to the many cracks that painted them. It wasn't that he was being melodramatic; quite the opposite. For some reason he was really happy.

But it was the simple fact that he was a young man who was woken up too early for himself.

Again, he groaned.

The cold air was enough to wake him up completely, though.

On his way to the store halfway across town, the road he walked along stretched along another open field that dipped down in a hill that had a distinct treeline about two miles away. At the bottom of the hill, it was flat for about a mile. It was a common spot to see kids playing sports or racing.

"Maybe I should try to get that spark again." Ash thought aloud to himself as he stopped.

As he reached down for his pencil, he noticed something else down in that field. With a second look, Ash learned it was someone. They appeared to be kneeling in the direction of the treeline.

Curious, Ash yelled at the person. "Hey! What are you doing?"

They didn't seem to hear. Ash sighed. He turned to leave, but his intrigue as to why someone would be kneeling in an open field kept him standing there.

Eventually, the man's internal fighting ended and he hopped over the fence.

"What are you doing?" He thought aloud, as if the person down there could actually hear him.

He kept his eyes on the person, who now stood up and moved to a different spot, only to kneel down again.

"What?–" Ash asked himself quietly. Suddenly, his foot found no dry ground under him and he was sliding down the wet hill on the seat of his jeans.

"–!" He made a little yelp, not very loud, but enough of a cry if surprise to scatter the Pidgey around him.

He slid down the rockless hill until the steel ground underneath him leveled out.

"Ouch..." He rubbed his head as he stood up. He looked around, not finding any of the field familiar.

His eyes caught the figure in the field. It was May, wearing a red vest, a white long sleeved undershirt, jeans, a red beanie, and boots. She kneeled down again, producing a camera from her hands and shooting a few pictures of the pokémon from the forest that had come out into the field.

Ash heard a few of the pidgeys coo overhead. May turned to take a picture of them, but found Ash instead.

Startled, she put her hand to her chest and backpedaled a step. Ash was caught in the way her hair flipped.

"Oh... my gosh. Hello Ash. I didn't see you there, you startled me!" She said, voice broken, obviously having her feathers ruffled.

Ash put his hands up in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, really, I am. I was just wondering what you were doing."

"Oh." May turned back to the forest. "I'm just taking a few pictures of the pokémon for the newspaper. I moved in from Hoenn because I accepted a job here as the new photographer here."

Ash nodded, taking in the information. "Why would a newspaper need pictures of pokémon?"

She waved a hand dismissedly. "Some article."

"Oh. Got any good pictures there? We've got some pretty different pokémon here in Kanto." Ash gestured to her camera.

She laughed, nodding profusely. "Yep, sure do. Anyway, what are you doing? You look like you just slid down that hill there."

Sheepishly, Ash put his hand behind his head. "Well, I may have lost my footing... but I was just going to the market to get some food when I noticed you down here. I called out to you, but I guess you didn't hear."

"Oh. That's nice." May said before losing focus and taking a picture of a Pidgey that landed a few feet behind Ash.

"Um, so..." Ash rubbed his nose. "I guess I'll see you later then...?"

May stood back up, unaware of her lapse in focus. "Oh! Yeah, definitely. Some other time." She put her hand up in a little wave. "It was nice talking to you!"

Ash grinned sheepishly. "Thanks. Yeah. See ya."

He waved, turning to leave, before stumbling over a rock and looking over his shoulder to make sure she didn't see. Seeing she didn't, he embarrassedly made his way back up the hill to do the now-boring job of getting the groceries.

* * *

"So that's what happened, Gary." Ash explained to his friend Gary, who Ash had been talking to for ten minutes about what happened.

He could hear Gary laugh on the other end. "Seems like you need to watch your step when ogling girls, Ash."

"Shut up." Ash said flatly.

"No, no, really. She seems like a nice girl... you should get to know her."

Ash groaned. "Really Gary? The last girl you set me on happened to be a Parisian model who promptly slapped me in the face."

Gary tried to contain his laughter. "How was I supposed to know Serena was that famous? ... And overly protective of her privacy bubble?"

Ash glared at the wall as if it was Gary. "Really."

Gary seemed to feel the eyes, because he kept the conversation moving. "Okay, okay. Sorry. But really. If I were you, I would get to know her. Hey, if she's single..."

Facepalming, Ash blew air into the receiver.

"Hey!" Gary yelped. "Your last girlfriend was in college. That's a while ago Ash."

Ash groaned again. "Not really, Gary... you know what? I'm done talking to you."

"All right then. Call me later if you start to consider it." Then the friend him up.

As the call ended, Ash looked back on the encounters he'd had with Miss Maple already, and began to actually consider it.

After staring at the wall for another thirty seconds, his heart beat out his logic as he furiously typed Gary's number back.

"I knew you'd call back!" Gary yelled through the line. It was like he just stayed by the phone. The more Ash thought about it, he probably did.

"Yeah, yeah." Ash answered, annoyed. "Just tell me what to do now."

Ash could hear Gary's knuckles crack on the other end of the line. "I thought you'd never ask. But I, Gary Freaking Oak, will tell you how to become friends with this girl! Then you will become close enough to ask if she's single, and then, if she is, you've got yourself a girlfriend Ashy-boy!"

Ash groaned. This was going to be a long night.


	3. Chapter 3: Food for Thought

"...and that's how you're going to do it." Gary finished with an air of confidence.

Ash, on the other hand, was nearly asleep. Gary had spent the past thirty minutes explaining his "master plan" to Ash.

"So lemme get this straight..." Ash began, "you want me to go to her house, completely uninvited, and ask her to lunch. Of course she'll accept, given the fact that she hardly knows me and I don't know her, and she'll love the little date you– oh, sorry– I'VE set up for us."

Gary nodded proudly on the other end. "Yup."

There was a silence of about thirty seconds before Ash hung up, saying nothing.

Seeing as it was nearing 8, and Ash hadn't had dinner yet, his stomach demanded immediate attention.

He checked his fridge, sighing to himself as he backed away. "I don't want to eat here, though..."

His house was bland to him now. Nothing interesting had seemed to happen. And with his recent lack of writing skills, it had become more of a prison for creativity. Gray and tasteless, instead of the normal palette of color it normally was.

He sighed. He really could make things over-dramatic.

Still, he put on his blue jacket and shoes, grabbing his wallet. Making sure he wasn't broke yet, Ash made his way to the door.

"Pikachu?" He called out. The reply was an adorable squeak from under the kitchen table.

"I'm gonna be gone for a while. See ya when I get back." With that said to the rodent, he left into the Kanto sunset.

His feet felt lighter than normal. Despite recent events, it felt as if a small weight was lifted from him. Maybe it was the idea of shutting down the sheer ridiculousness that was Gary's "genius" plan.

Ash's functions were now controlled by his stomach, almost dragging him like a ragdoll to the nearest restaurant.

It'd kill his wallet. It wasn't your simple MooMoo Café or Tauros King. This was no chain. This was the best Kanto had to offer.

This was Oak's Place.

The building was made as an homage to the famous Professor Oak, a staple of the town who had put Pallet on the map with his numerous Pokémon discoveries. Owned by Oak's niece and Gary's older sister, Daisy, it was a home-funded, hometown style place for good eatin'.

And it was good.

Ash slowly entered the diner, bell ringing as he entered. The sun had reclined behind him, leaving the sky purple and majestic over the mass ocean.

"Well, look who it is." Came a feminine drawl. Ash turned to see a honey-blonde woman at the bar of the diner, wearing a white apron and a smile.

Ash grinned. "Hello Daisy."

Ash had been a regular to the diner when his writing had been flowing like the nearby Viridian River. He'd sit down in the mornings, order pancakes, and Daisy would give them to him, as time went on eventually giving him more than he paid for. He didn't mind.

She put her hands on her hips, right hand still clutching a washing rag. "Now what brings you back to my diner?"

He couldn't help but feel upbeat around his friend's sister. "Oh, just feeling hungry."

"Took ya long enough." Her southern accent twanged, giving her a distinction from her yuppie brother. She scowled playfully along with this.

Ash's grin fell. "The writing stops, and so do I."

He sat down at the bar, across from her. She leaned on it as she poured him a coffee. "So I'm guessin' it's back now?"

He shook his head. "No. Guess not."

She frowned. "Well I'm sorry to hear that."

He nodded. "Yeah. I'll find it somehow. But you never know. Maybe one of your Tauros beef burgers will do the trick."

She smiled before entering the kitchen of the diner. "Ash Ketchum, I'll never know what to do with you. You go on strike from me for nearly a month and then you come back acting like everything's fine, wanting a burger."

He laughed, leaning back. "Some things never change, Daisy."

"Guess not." Came the voice from the kitchen. "You get a girlfriend yet?"

He sat up straight. "You get a husband yet?"

She marched out, hands on her hips again. "Ash Ketchum. I swear you keep jokin' with me like this, you'll never get anywhere."

As she returned to the kitchen, Ash took a sip of the coffee. He realized he never asked her for it. Smiling at the thought of her remembering his favorite, he reclined into the chair again.

He heard the sound of the door open. Any other time of the day, it wouldn't have been unusual. But at 8:07 PM, it seemed just the smallest bit awkward. He turned.

Standing in the doorway stood a certain brunette, hands clutching her camera tightly. She looked around for a place to sit. There were a few booths open, but of course, she eyed the seat next to Ash's.

She spotted him and grinned, walking up towards the author.

"Hello stranger." She greeted, sitting next to him.

Hearing the bell, Daisy walked out of the kitchen. Seeing the new arrival, she smiled.

"What'll it be tonight, honey?" She asked.

May smiled. "I just need a coffee, thank you."

"Decaf? Black?"

"Cappuccino should be fine." She ordered.

Briskly walking to the counter in front of the wall, covered with different coffee machines. Daisy skillfully crafted a cappuccino within seconds, handing the white mug to the girl. As she did, Daisy carefully eyed Ash.

Ash looked at her confusedly, as if to say "What?"

May smiled. "Thank you. Uh, how much is it?"

Daisy smiled. "Tonight it's free, honey."

"Thank you." May thanked before taking a sip. She relished in it, loving its taste and texture.

She turned to him. "Funny I'd see you here, Ash."

Ash realized he'd been staring. "Uh, yeah. I used to come here all the time, but then I got caught up in writing."

"Writing?" May asked. "You write? For the newspaper?"

"No," Ash answered. "as much as I'd like to, I write stories. Like novels and books."

"Interesting." May sipped her drink again. "So then why'd you get caught up in it, if I may ask? I mean, if you were able to come here before and still write, then..."

Her face contorted into a genuinely interested and adorable face. Ash took a second to answer.

"Ideas just sort of stopped after I published my first book." He answered.

"You've published a book? Is it any good?" She asked, eyes brightening.

"I don't know," he stated, taking a sip from his own coffee, "you'd have to ask the reviewers. I don't think four stars is that bad."

May looked off, thinking. "Wow. You must've been good. So you just used up all your ideas on that?"

Ash nodded, Daisy reappearing with his burger. "So that's what I've been up to for the past month."

She grinned, placing her hands in a ball underneath her chin as Ash paid the ten dollars for the burger. "I'd like for us to learn more about each other, since we've been kinda bumping into each other a lot."

Ash laughed. "I'll say."

She took another sip. "I know! How long have you lived here?"

He thought for a second. "I grew up in Pallet, but I went to college over in Viridian for a language degree. I studied writing, got my degree as a junior, and moved back to Pallet when I was 20."

"Hold up." She set her drink down. "You were a junior and graduated? Not even a senior?"

He felt a pride balloon in his stomach inflate. "Yep. They called me a prodigy."

May grinned. "So is Mr. Prodigy too good to eat his burger? Cuz' I'll gladly eat it."

"No." Ash said, mocking a dark tone. "Mine."

He accentuated this by taking a big bite.

She giggled, folding her hands under her chin again. "Well, let's see here. I'll explain more of my situation, since I didn't explain much earlier when you fell down the cliff."

Ash's face burned.

"Let's see. I took a Petalburg Community College course to major in photography. Petalburg is where I used to live."

Ash nodded. Petalburg was the capitol of Hoenn.

She continued. "I looked for a job there, but only found small ones for colleges. I found a job eventually, but it was a hundred miles away here in Kanto. So I packed up and sailed here."

"Are you staying here indefinitely?" Ash asked.

"If I don't get fired." May answered, giggling. "I was hired as the paper here's head photographer."

"Yes I know." Ash nodded. "Is it difficult at all?"

"I wouldn't say as difficult as writing sometimes," May thought aloud, "but it is fairly difficult sometimes. It's hard to find good photographer nowadays, they said."

Ash finished his burger and turned back to her, just as she finished her coffee. "Wanna talk more?" He asked.

"Sure. I need to learn more about this place." She answered, folding her hands under her chin again.

* * *

They'd talked for a while, May explaining that she knew hardly anything about Kantoean culture. Ash had said it didn't matter. May then explained that she was single but loved how big Gary's old house was. Ash explained that the house used to be his best friend Gary's.

May, after learning about Gary, laughed out loud.

Then, after they were the only ones left in the diner and felt Daisy's eyes boring into them, they left. That's when May asked Ash to walk her home.

He humbly accepted. She was his neighbor, after all. They'd be walking home together whether they liked it or not. Might as well get something out of it.

The purple sky was now black, slight gray wisps of clouds hardly visible on the skyline. The trees, instead of feeling imposing and malevolent like they usually did at 9:30, seemed protective, almost like they were Sudowoodo using their limbs to protect the two.

As they walked down the sidewalk leading into the neighborhood, May talkatively explained her family to the listening man.

"My dad is Norman Maple. He works as head executive at Petalburg's zoo. My mom, Caroline, works at a clothing firm." She said.

Ash listened. "You have any sisters? Brothers?"

"Yep. Max. He's kind of a jerk. And a nerd." She stated annoyedly, prompting a laugh from Ash.

The two arrived at May's house, the girl now starting to finally show signs of tiring.

"Thanks for walking me home, Ash." She noted, yawning. "Tonight was pretty fun, even if we didn't mean to meet up."

"Yeah," Ash nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets.

There was a long silence, making the two feel awkward until May spoke up.

"We should do it again."

Ash's mouth dried. "Sure. When are you open?"

She thought. "Well, tomorrow I've got something with the paper in the evening, but lunch works. How about that?"

He nodded. "Where? Does the diner sound good again?"

She shook her head. "No. I haven't had anyone over yet, so I might as well have you over."

Ash nodded. "Sounds good."

The silence returned, May staring at her shoes while Ash began staring into the night.

"Thanks again Ash." She thanked before walking inside her home. "Bye."

Ash found himself unable to speak for some reason. He waved instead.

The door shut unusually loudly. Ash stared at the door for a few seconds before walking home.

His thoughts ran rampant. "I'm getting a date for tomorrow, huh? Never thought Gary was right. I guess I am getting to know her more by asking her to lunch at her house."

He sighed as he opened the door to his house. Pikachu was fast asleep on the couch.

He grinned before going to bed. "Gary, you are a freaking psychic."


	4. Chapter 4: An Unexpected Call

**Short chapter after a long wait. Nobody likes to see this, including myself. I have a bit of an explanation. First off, school is starting back up. I'll be relatively inactive. Second, I've re-found two shows I really like. I rediscovered F•R•I•E•N•D•S, which took a while because Netflix is awesome. Then, a little show called Gravity Falls came walking back into my life. So that too.**

* * *

Once again the unwelcome droning noise of Ash's alarm rudely awoke him in the morning. The man almost yelled at the incessant noise, stuffing pillows by his head to act as mufflers for the sound.

Needless to say, the tactic didn't work.

After dragging himself out of bed and sluggishly making his way to the kitchen, Ash found himself with a fully stocked fridge. He inwardly thanked his past self for having the insight, even after the incident in the field, to actually do what he set out to do and buy a fridge's worth of food.

Grabbing a gallon of milk and a few random fruits, Ash headed towards the table.

The breakfast routine for Ash generally consisted of a fruit, a large bowl of cereal, and at least a quart of milk for the whole thing. Sometimes, if he was feeling fancy, he'd add in orange juice.

So, as he gathered all these fruits, he realized with a twang of sadness he'd have to pick one. It was like picking a favorite child; nearly impossible.

He considered the apple, then the orange, and finally the pomegranate. He eliminated the pomegranate just because he wondered how he even got it. He didn't like pomegranates.

Next it was the apple versus the orange. After settling on the apple, Ash poured himself some breakfast.

He sat down quietly, munching on the wheat cereal. Pikachu walked into the room, drowsy and incredibly tired. Ash couldn't help but smirk at his companion, who seemed to mimic him a lot.

He checked the digital clock on the oven. It was nine in the morning. His date was at noon.

His date.

The two words seemed foreign. He'd known May for just a day or so. The events of the past night ran through his mind like a movie, perfectly displaying every detail over and over again.

"My date's today; Pikachu." He found himself saying. Outwardly, it wasn't even a date. He tried not to get his hopes up. The last date he had crashed and burned– and was now married to Tracy Sketchit.

But inwardly, he couldn't help but be excited. It had been years since his last date, and that was back when he was writing books like he had something to say.

Something to say...

He reached his spoon down for another bite of cereal and realized there was none left. Soundlessly, he made his way to the sink and washed out his bowl. Setting the empty item on the counter for the washer later, he rushed upstairs to his writing room to try and write some more. Such had been the routine for days.

He sat down at his desk and turned on the light. Grabbing a pencil and a sheet of paper, he began to think. Quickly he scrabbled down a title.

"Something to Say," Ash spoke aloud as he wrote. It sounded like the perfect name for a title. He smiled as thoughts of different plots and characters flowed through his head.

He hovered his pencil above the paper. "Who's the main character?"

He thought for a little bit. Should they be a guy? A girl? Maybe a creature, like a Pokémon?

His pencil flowed along the paper, his thoughts moving from his mind to the paper.

"April... Pines..." Ash thought aloud. "Yes. That's it!"

Without knowing it, Ash had subconsciously named his main character after May. He began to write more about the character.

"...a beautiful young brunette, with a perky attitude and soft side..." He wrote.

The woman he was picturing wasn't April Pines, though.

Suddenly, the pencil stopped moving. One whole sentence had been written.

Ash looked down and groaned in disappointment and anger. He reached down to crumple it up, but was interrupted by a sound.

He reached for his phone, noticing the noise was the familiar marimba he'd set as his ringtone, and looked at the caller ID.

"Dawn." He read aloud. He sighed before answering. Talks with Dawn could last hours if she was the one calling.

"Hey, Ash!" Dawn greeted from the other side of the phone, chipper as always.

"Good... morning?" Ash answered, checking his watch to make sure it was still morning. His little writing escapade had only lasted twenty minutes.

Dawn giggled on the other side. "I'm guessing you just woke up. You're such an idiot."

"Hey..."

"That's not why I called." Dawn pointed out firmly, ending any form of fighting that would have happened. "I called because I wanted to tell you that I'll be in Pallet real soon and I wondered if I could stay over."

Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Sure, Dawn. The guest room is open, as it always is."

Dawn giggled again on the other side. "You really need a girlfriend, Ash."

Ash facepalmed. "Ugh. I'll, have you know, I got myself a date today."

His voice wavered, as if he wasn't sure he should call it a date. Dawn caught onto him, though.

"Oh, really?" She asked sarcastically.

Ash groaned. "Why are you even in town, anyway?"

She took a second, Ash guessed to flip her hair or check her nails or something stereotypically girly. "It's for a college class. We're studying the wildlife there."

"Okay." Ash nodded, still confused at why she needed to travel to Kanto just to study its wildlife. Instead of questioning, however, he decided to just end the conversation there rather than give Dawn a reason to talk for hours and execute him with his phone bill.

"Yeah, well, I'll see ya then Dawn." Ash hurried, finger covering the end call button.

"Wait, Ash–" her voice sounded urgent. Some tone in there made him halt.

"You've got thirty seconds." He said darkly. "Use it wisely. I don't want to talk for hours this time."

She sighed on the other end of the phone. "Actually, no. I'll tell you when I get there. You wouldn't understand now."

And then she hung up.

Ash stood in place for a few seconds, pondering what she might have wanted to say. Slowly, he set the phone down and returned to the page. That didn't last long either.

Instead, he turned to his closet, open with multiple articles of clothing strewn everywhere like a couple linoones made nests in there. Ash groaned, carefully wedging himself inside to try and find something to wear.

* * *

Lunch soon arrived, and the young man found himself sweating in droves. Armored with only a blue tee shirt, jeans, his worn out shoes, and the hat he never took off, Ash felt fairly casual.

And dumb.

He made his way to her doorway, knocking once, then twice. There was no reply.

He tried again. Three knocks this time.

Still no reply.

"I got stood up." He thought aloud, frowning as he took a step back from his friend's former house.

Just as he turned to walk away, the door opened. "Oh, Ash! Sorry sorry sorry! I wasn't ready, I needed to do my hair, and–"

"You didn't need to do that..." Ash said as he turned around and noticed the woman.

He could see why she needed to do her hair. It cascaded down her back in a way that seemed too much like an ocean to be anywhere near hair. She looked very nice.

"So you wanna come on in?" She asked quietly after the long silence.

Ash nodded hurriedly.

Don't mess this up, Ashy-boy.


	5. Chapter 5: The Dreaded Phone Search

**So. Short chapter today. Long breaks with short chapters.**

 **Don't you all just love high school?**

 **Anyway, I should be able to get more out as time progresses. This short little chapter was going nowhere anyways, and I'm itchy to move the plot. (As you can easily tell.)**

 **So with that horrible excuse, I let you read the three minute chapter. Enjoy. Please.**

* * *

May's house was just as Gary left it. The familiar layout welcomed Ash as he took a step inside the home. To his left stood a hat rack, filled with an arrangement of different hats, berets, and bandanas.

May clapped her hands together. "Okay. So, if you would follow me into the kitchen..."

Ash nodded, following her quietly through the familiar family room, now holding a much larger fireplace than he last remembered, and into the granite-clad kitchen. On the island sat a sink and a plate of frozen pizza. Ash turned to see May, who was blushing and poking her two pointed fingers together.

"You see, I just moved here, and..." She explained hurriedly and worriedly.

Ash grinned. "No, it's absolutely fine. Pepperoni is my favorite anyways. It's not like I've got much good food around either, given my situation."

"Could've fooled me," May started as she took the pizza into the oven and counted the amount of time needed. "what with your great-looking house.

'Yeah, just don't go inside.' Ash thought. "Eh, not really. So what do you want to do in the meantime?"

"I wanna know about this Pikachu guy I've heard about." May answered. "You talked a little bit about him before, but it seemed offhanded."

"Oh," Ash chuckled. "he's my pet. More like my little buddy, though. I found him beat up by some Spearows on my front lawn a year or two back."

May finished setting up the pizza. "Can I see a picture of him?"

Ash took out his phone and obliged. May squee-ed as a photo of the little guy sleeping on the couch surfaced.

"He's so adorable!" She cooed as Ash flicked through more pictures of the yellow mouse.

Ash grinned. "He'd be excited to know you heard that."

May excitedly grabbed his arm and dragged him to the couch, almost forcibly taking his phone and clicking through the fifteen or so pictures of weird things the mouse had done. Ash felt a little uncomfortable, as any guy is when their date takes their phone. It wasn't that he had anything he didn't want her to see on there, it was that it'd be difficult to explain-

"Who's this girl?" May asked, almost downcast, as she lifted a picture of Ash with Dawn at a carnival in Saffron.

Ash's face lost all its' blood at once. What did she want with this picture? He cleared his throat. "That's my sister, Dawn."

Her face brightened a little, but still remained suspicious. "She doesn't look like she's related to you."

"You'd be right." Ash coughed, his voice cracking. "My mother adopted her at a young age–"

"So she's not related to you." May stated steely, putting the phone down.

"Yes," Ash finished. "She's my adopted sister."

May nodded, pulling her legs close to her chest as she lay against the couch. "It's nice to have friends over for once."

The sudden change of subject caught Ash a little off guard, but he wasn't any less thankful for it. "It sure is. I can't remember the last time someone invited me over to their house."

May giggled as she squeezed her legs. "Y'know, normally it's the girl who goes to the guy's house."

Ash chuckled. "Is it? Well then I guess we've already messed things up."

May grinned. "Can't hurt to have pizza then, can it?"

Ash nodded. "I don't believe so, madamé."

After a few seconds of silence, a shrill beeping came from the kitchen. The pizza was done; the gorgeous smell wafting from the oven.

May leapt up and sprinted towards the kitchen, leaving Ash in awe. "Care to join me?" She called from the oven.

Ash followed suit, near laughter at the sight of May beating out any Rapidash to get to food.

Thirty minutes later, the entire box of pizza had been devoured. May had constantly asked questions about Pallet Town and its history, leaving Ash thrown for a loop. Her excuse was that she wanted to learn more about the town if she was to live in it for the rest of her life.

"So you've already basically established that you're staying here forever?" Asked Ash quizzically.

"Mhmm." She nodded.

Ash scratched his chin jokingly. "But what if you were fired?"

She blew a raspberry and turned away callously. "What makes you think I'd be fired? I'm appalled at you, Mr. Ketchum."

Ash couldn't help but laugh. This girl always had a trick of some sort up her sleeve. A quick glance at the clock told him it was nearing 1:30. A side-look to May gave way to the fact that she had noticed also.

Both stood up. May spoke up first. "It's been really great talking to you."

Ash nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, it really has."

They stayed there, staring at each other for a few minutes, until Ash broke away, his face reddening. "Uh, so, it was nice to see you, and..."

"Yeah."

"So... we'll meet again?"

May's face lit up. "I don't see why not."

Ash grinned. "Tomorrow at my house. 8:30."

He didn't know why he said that. He didn't have anything planned, nor did he have space to bring a woman over. His house was a mess, and he didn't have any food. Mentally, he slapped himself repeatedly for suggesting such an outrageous-

"Sure, that sounds great." May agreed quietly, clasping her hands together near her waist. "See ya tomorrow."

Awkwardly, Ash waved and made his way out of her house, not even remembering what had transpired thirty seconds ago.


	6. Chapter 6: Dawn of a New Day

**Hey!**

 ***dodges single tomato***

 **Well, I hope you guys did something during my ENTIRE MONTH OF OCTOBER HIATUS. I know I sure didn't. Sigh I guess that's the life of the author. Anyway. This chapter is heartfelt from me to you! With no feels or fluff! Have fun with a filler story chapter!**

* * *

Ash stared at his ceiling from his couch the next morning. A pounding, unexplained headache rendered him immobile, as well as the anxious fear that grew in his chest each second. All this revolved and gravitated around one mental proposition:

"What am I gonna do tonight?"

May was dead wrong when she thought that he owned a good sense of culinary taste. He normally just ate anything and everything he got his eyes on.

Pikachu had long since decided to ignore the man, as the usual painful groans were just a false reminder that his owner was a complete and total idiot. Which wasn't news, of course, but it still was laughable comedy to the little mouse.

Finally, after a few hours, the lazy man got up from the furniture, his pounding headache reduced to a minor throb. With the clock saying 10:30 a.m., he figured he was still fine for a few hours.

He put his hands on his hips and pondered what he would do. Multiple seconds of head-scratching and a near-miss with another migraine produced yet another stretch of nothingness for ideas, so he believed a walk was in order.

His pocket buzzed. Picking up the phone, he read the name of the caller aloud.

"Dawn."

Great.

He coughed once before opening the text message that Dawn seemed to have sent along with a cement block.

"Standing at your doorway dimwit"

Ash was silent for more than a few seconds. It took him a while to register the fact that his sister's creepiness now had a physical scale that could be measured. A chill ran down his spine.

A quick glance to he door revealed that, yes, his beanie-connoisseur sister was indeed standing at the doorway, for some reason looking quite pissed.

Ash opened the door groggily. "Hello, Da—"

Without word, she rushed in, a rather large suitcase following suit. "Okay, here's the deal. I'm gonna stay here for a while, and you're gonna feed me."

Ash watched her walk in. "Sure, walk into my house..."

Dawn set her suitcase near one of Ash's couches. "I know I may be a little early, but, uh, I'll make myself at home. You do have a guest bedroom, right?"

Ash nodded tiredly. Dawn squealed. "Yay! This will be better than my dorm!"

Seeing Ash raise his finger, she shot it down quickly. "And don't worry about me finding it. I'll just know by the one that doesn't smell like B.O. and tears. Ciao!"

With that, she was gone. Ash scratched his head, confused. "How did that all happen that fast? Normally, she nearly chews my ear off..."

Within seconds, a horrified yellow form came screaming down the stairs. Pikachu had not foreseen the sudden appearance of Dawn, and while most wouldn't quite freak out from a five-foot-six, blue haired, tsundere adopted sister, it was still enough to make Pikachu eject from his fur. Laying headlong and headfirst into the back of one of Ash's couches, Pikachu decided it would be best for his interest if he didn't leave his compromised position.

Ash, however, laughed at the poor mouse's misfortune. "C'mon, buddy, we might as well try to get something on paper before we have to get ready."

Popping his head out from the cushion, the mouse put on a semblance of a smile before being nodding up the stairs to Ash's room. Ash followed slowly, the smile still stuck on his face.

As he arrived at his room, a sudden thought arose in his mind. He stood close to the room, stared at it for a few seconds, and took a whiff with his nose.

Soon, he was rushing downstairs for air freshener.

* * *

It was around noon when the pencil stopped moving. He'd successfully filled about twenty pages with scribbles and chicken scratch, all impossibly illegible to the human eye. His excitement caught a hold of him about halfway through, and he let his hand fly, fed by his mind.

He talked incessantly and in quick, quiet, and murmured bursts. Different ideas flowed.

The image had come to him instantly—her ocean blue eyes, sleek ash brown hair, perfectly carved figure, and a smile that would blind the stars. She stood in front of a shimmering backdrop, a lake too mystifying for him to put to much words.

He had decided to change the name from April Pines to something different. He felt like the first name was too much lie, someone he knew, but he couldn't place his finger on it. Pikachu's facepalm was unnoticed.

However, what ended his train of thought and trancelike state wasn't a lack of ideas, but a specific barrage of pounding thuds as they marched down the hallway to his room. His shut door cried out under the pain of being Hitmon-punched by a short girl who was very, very hungry.

Ash's eyes returned from their milky blindness to his normal brown, taking him a few seconds to readjust before realizing that Dawn was very much pissed on the other side of the door.

"Whaddya want?" Ash asked half-heartedly.

There was a shift on the other side of the door, almost as if Dawn was now suddenly really disappointed in him. "I don't know if you've realized, hotshot, but it's noon and I'm really friggin' hungry. So if you could take me to a restaurant now, that'd be great."

Ash groaned and lolled his head back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. "Why can't I just make you something?"

The answer was curt and spontaneous. "Because I don't trust that you won't poison me with your horrible cooking skills."

Ash shot up. "Okay, that was one time! Plus, Brock's been helping me recently!"

Dawn had no answer. "I'll be waiting outside. Hurry up."

"Rude," Ash mumbled as he quickly threw on his hat and jacket and ran out the door, mumbling angrily.

Dawn was standing at the front door, angrily tapping her foot. "There any good places to eat?"

Ash rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know, I normally eat my own perfectly fine food that I make myself."

Dawn giggled and socked his shoulder softly. "C'mon man. I'm sorry for what I did to you when I was hungry. Now, last time I was here..."

She began searching the street nearby for something. Confused, Ash watched for a few seconds before tapping her shoulder worriedly. "Uh, Dawn? What are you looking for?"

She exited her search with a sigh. "That one diner place. What did you call it?"

Ash smiled knowingly. "Alright, I'll take you to Oak's Place."

Dawn hopped up and down, a bundle of excitement unable to be shut down. "Yay! We go! Now!"

"Okay, okay!" Ash tried, being fought by the girl as she tugged him along the road despite not knowing where to go.

* * *

The diner was relatively empty. The familiar bell jingled softly, like that of a cat's bell, signifying their entering. A few older men sat at tables, some war veterans or grandpas with children. There was the often displaced sound of chinking cutlery and small traces of smiles in the tone's of people's hushed voices.

Daisy was nowhere to be found, but that didn't really concern Ash. If he knew her well, she was probably reading a magazine in the kitchen or something. Kooky girl.

Dawn flittered to a stall and harrumphed down happily, whimsically humming at the pumpernickel sky. Ash watched her, a confused smile covering her face. She really was the little sister she'd been five years ago.

"My, my! Miss Dawn!" The shrill surprise of Daisy almost caught Ash off guard, as the woman rushed out from seemingly nowhere to hug the collegiate. Dawn was likewise excited to see Daisy, almost immediately thrusting her arms around the older woman.

Ash could feel the stares of old men as the two girls basically glomped in public. A drip of sweat rolled under his ear as he caught the stares from a few quizzical children.

"Okay, okay," Ash embarrassedly murmured to the girls as he corralled Dawn into the seat. "You might as well get the menus, Daisy, before you girls decide it's time to gossip over some ungodly topic."

Within a minute a disgruntled Daisy returned with two menus. With Dawn pouting in the corner, Ash contentedly read through the options of delicacies.

A ring took his focus away for a second. He didn't even need to look up to know who it was, as he knew the face behind that ash brown hair all too well.


	7. Chapter 7: Dinner Anxiety

**How was everyone's Thanksgiving? If you celebrate it, of course. I guess if you didn't, then... How was your... November?**

 **I'm terribly sorry.**

 **Anyway, today was a snow day, so I get to write! Yay! Here's another chapter of Chapters! Don't forget – I'm always open to questions in the review column. It helps me out more than you think!**

* * *

Now was the time for Ash to worry. As far as he was concerned, she wasn't supposed to see him–or him see her, for that matter–until they met later that day for dinner.

So when May walked in, it was safe to say that there were more than a few beads of sweat forming on Ash's brow.

This, first, alerted Dawn to the fact that something was very wrong. Ash had only really sweated like that before when there was something that was out of his control.

"Ash?" She asked, "Are you okay?"

Ash's scared gaze at May was instantly diverted. "Oh, yeah. I'm perfectly fine."

Dawn scowled. He was lying. "I can see right through you, Ash. You're dense as a rock, but clear as a window."

He sighed. "Okay, look. I'm gonna give it to you straight. But I need you not to do anything really attention-gaining, okay? Can you please do that?"

Dawn smiled, raising her pinky finger. "I'm on it. No need to worry."

Ash sighed and leaned back. "Okay. So a while ago, this girl named May moved in. She's a photographer for the local paper; just moved here from Hoenn. When she moved into Gary's old house, she came over to my house to say hello. For some reason afterward, I kept running into her. So we decided we'd just have dinner a few times, and one of those times is tonight."

Dawn nodded, following his new gaze to the girl ordering a cappuccino at the front desk. She gestured a finger to her, and Ash nodded. That was the girl he'd been talking about.

"So why're you all worked up about it? Besides the fact that she's an actual girl and your last girlfriend was a while ago." Dawn asked backhandedly.

Ash rubbed his temples. "I'm meeting up with her tonight, right? As far as I'm concerned, that's when I'm supposed to see her. If I talk to her now, it'll just be awkward."

Dawn nodded, a smile on her face still from the shock of learning that Ash was seeing a girl. No matter what he'd called it, he was now dating again. "Then just don't talk to her. Leave her be."

Ash almost had a fit. "You don't understand! She'll want to talk! She won't let me go–!"

"Who won't let you go?" A soft voice came from behind Dawn.

Ash's face paled. "Oh, hi May!"

Dawn turned to see the young woman. May smiled heartily, putting her phone back in a pocket in the handbag she was carrying. "Hi, I'm May. You must be Dawn?"

Dawn smiled. "Yes. Has Ash told me about you?"

May giggled, taking a seat next to Ash, who awkwardly scooted over to let her in. "Well, it was more like I stumbled upon your information."

Dawn giggled with her. "Ash really isn't one for telling people about his family."

The man in question was now rubbing his temples even more. All this was beginning to give him a headache.

It was just at this moment that Daisy arrived with a notepad. She smiled to May, who warmly smiled back. "I'll just be sitting with them, if that's fine."

Daisy smiled. "Oh, sure thing, Honey. Now, may I get you two troublemakers' orders?"

Ash, desperate to get out of the conversation he was stuck in, stuck his out immediately. "Yes, uh, hit me up with one of your pulled pork sandwiches and some fries. I'll have a lemonade to go with that."

Daisy scratched down Ash's order before swaying to Dawn's side. "For you, Miss?"

Dawn eyed Ash carefully before ordering. "I just want a grilled bluegill, please. Oh, with water. Thank you."

The diner owner thanked them before hurrying off to the kitchen to work on their orders. There was a brief silence between the three young adults, the only sound being May taking the seldom sip from her coffee.

Dawn held a steady smile through all of this, one that Ash could've sworn held every bit the blackmail intent it had had back when they were in eighth grade.

May took up the offer to speak first. "So, Dawn, how's college going for you?"

"It's okay." Dawn answered. "It's almost like an on-off relationship. On one hand, it's school. But on the other hand, I get to do so many cool things."

May nodded. "I remember when I went to college back in Hoenn. The college back in Hoenn that I attended had a great photography program, and I'd always loved photography, so I just took that. Look where I am now."

Dawn grinned. "You're living next to my brother."

Ash scowled. "Hey, watch it. I don't think it's that bad."

"I'm pretty sure she can hear you tearing your hair out over writing from her house." Dawn teased, earning a giggle from May.

Ash slid back down in his seat. The food arrived in his peripheral vision.

This wasn't going to be a fun lunch.

* * *

May had left about halfway through the lunch, saying something about an appointment and rushing out awkwardly. Ash had waved her off, making sure of the time of their get-together, and sat in silence for the rest of the lunch. Dawn studied him suspiciously, as this Ash somehow seemed different. Maybe it was the fact that he actually had a girlfriend, maybe not. Even if he didn't know it, he was dating someone now.

Now it was a little past six, and Ash sat in the dining room of his now-cleaned house, staring at the oven.

"Daaaawn! I don't know what to dooooo!" Ash yelled, eyes never leaving the oven.

She thumped down the stairs, obviously disgruntled at Ash's call. "What, Ash?"

He pointed at the fridge. "I have nothing to make."

She stared at him blankly. "Really? That's what you called me down for?"

Ash nodded, his blank stare still apparent.

She sighed. "You know what, Ash? Don't worry about it. I'll get your food today."

Ash's eyes widened. "Um, no, I don't need you to–"

She gave him a stare that could kill a mouse. "No, Ash. I'm doing it."

He blinked. "Okay, then. Fine. But what do I do until May gets here?"

Dawn smiled, putting fear into Ash's heart. "Just write for a bit. Find something to wear, I don't know. But go casual."

He agreed silently, heading up the stairs for his room. Dawn sighed behind him.

"I do hope Ash realizes what he's doing."

The doorbell rang.

Ash hurried downstairs, his fear from before almost completely replaced by anxiousness and excitement. Unable to find anything better to wear, Ash had hastily thrown on a pair of jeans. He was in progress of putting his black tee shirt on as he ran downstairs.

"How's the food?" Ash asked Dawn as he ran past. He could only see her from the back, as she didn't face him, but she gave a very confident thumbs-up. Ash smiled; Dawn did well when she was confident.

It was your normal Autumn night. Ash could see wisps of steam on his left window, signifying with the doorbell that someone was there.

He swung the door open. There stood May, who was wearing a soft brown coat and a pair of jeans. Her red beanie accompanied her, a trope Ash began to notice more often. Her cheeks were bright and rosy from the cold.

"Hi, Ash!" She greeted hurriedly. Ash couldn't help but look at her with pity.

"Come in, come in." Ash welcomed, hustling her in.

May walked in, taking admiration of the house. It was very large and open, similar to her house. "Ash, this place looks amazing."

Ash took her handbag and placed it on the nearby coffee table. "Well, that's what author's money can do, I guess. It's still a little small. You wanna get to the table? I think Dawn's about done."

"Oh, Dawn's making us dinner today?" May asked, seeming confused.

Ash laughed. "Oh, I hope you didn't think I would. The most complicated thing I can cook is a piece of toast."

May giggled, taking a seat at the dining room table. Ash smiled and walked into the kitchen.

Dawn turned around, looking incredibly confident. "I made you two lovebirds a soup today. I hope that's fine."

Ash scowled at her. "Yeah, that's fine. It's pretty nippy outside. Are you planning on eating with us?"

Dawn nodded. "Yep. Unless it's gonna get nasty."

Staring blankly at her, Ash checked to see if what she was making wasn't laced with poison.

She huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "C'mon, Ash. You two are dating, right?"

He sighed. "I don't know. You'd have to ask her."

Grabbing his shoulders, she nearly slapped him. "You are. Now get over her and focus on May. This is going to be a nice casual dinner, and you two are going to like it. It doesn't have to be romantic, just friendly, so you can get to know each other more. If you want to make it official, just ask. She seems nice."

Ash nodded after some time. "Yeah, Dawn. I guess you're right. You do have pretty tall aspirations for such a short girl."

She scowled. "Watch it. I'm making your food."

He returned to the table, where May had taken to petting Pikachu. The mouse had jumped into her lap at some point and was purring loudly.

Ash grinned. "Didn't your mother ever tell you that there were no pets at the table?"

She looked up, startled. "Oh, Ash. He's just so cute, though!"

The mouse hopped off, sitting down politely, allowing her to push her chair in. "And so polite, too!"

Sitting down at the table, Ash looked at his pet with pride. "I've trained him myself, the little bugger. Figured since he's around people so often, he might as well act like a person."

"You trained him?" May asked.

"More like he begged to be trained," Ash answered, eying Dawn as the short girl almost waltzed in with a crockpot full of soup.

May's face lit up. "Dawn! What soup is that? It smells delicious!"

The cook beamed proudly. "It's an old Ketchum family recipe I was taught when I was ten. Mother thought I would be more fitting to know it, considering the other kid was too busy battling Pokémon with his friends."

Normally rebutting this, Ash was too caught up in the smell of the soup. "Did you make it just like Mom did?"

Dawn confirmed it. "I would be proud of it, but I've made it so many times it's almost my bread and butter. Now, eat up you two! I've got enough to feed a herd!"

She lifted the crockpot to both young adults, ladling them each a bowl of the succulent stew. There were bits of steamed carrot, as well as peppers and celery. Beef and beans were both riddled in to give it a blast of protein, and the right amount of cumin and cinnamon added to the broth made it mouth-wateringly tantalizing.

May, unable to handle it, dove in immediately. She took a bite.

Dawn and Ash watched worriedly. Ash was terrified. He didn't know what he'd do if she hated it. He wouldn't have to think about it, however.

It exploded onto May's tastebuds, blossoming with every second it was in her mouth. Her face lit up once more.

"Omigosh I love it Dawn!" She exclaimed, taking another bite. "It's soooo good!"

Ash let out a sigh of relief as he took a bite. "That's good to know. This was always my favorite thing to eat when Dawn and I were little."

May took bite after bite. Dawn laughed. "Now don't eat too much, I still have to have some."

She stopped, almost instantly realizing how she'd been eating like a wolf while the other two had been eating in a way that quite differed from hers. "What? Oh, I'm sorry."

Waving it off, Ash took another spoonful. "Don't worry about it, May, most times I eat more angrily than you did just there. It's kinda uncharacteristic of me eating like I am now."

The picture in her head gave May reason to smile. "Just imagining you taking chili like this to the face and just absolutely demolishing it is funny for some reason."

Dawn waved her spoon. "Oh, you should've seen him eat this a few years ago, when he was a sophomore in high school."

Ash chuckled. "Oh, how much I'd pay to forget those years."

"It's like that for everyone." May pointed out, eating more calmly this time around.

Something in May's handbag buzzed for a second. Ash found it superhuman that she'd heard it from her spot at the table. "Hold on, I've gotta go get that."

She rushed from her seat, taking a look at the phone. Ash inferred that it was a text message.

She nodded as she read it, bouncing her ash brown hair. Dawn caught Ash staring and snickered.

Slowly, May returned back, but with a smile on her face.

"What was it?" Ash asked worriedly.

"Oh, nothing," May answered. "a writer for the column at the paper just got fired."

Dawn caught her smile. "That's horrible! Why are you smiling?"

May beamed. "Because I think I just found their replacement."


	8. Chapter 8: Spur of the Moment

**Gosh, guys, Christmas is less than a week away. I was hoping to get a Christmas chapter out, but I guess given how long it takes me to write these, that's kinda out of the question. Also, finals. Good luck.**

 **Here's another chapter! Hope you guys enjoy this spur-of-the-moment chapter entitled "Spur of the Moment"! It's genius!**

* * *

He laughed nervously. "No, no, May, you can't let me do that. I'm having trouble writing a few creative words, let alone an entire column with actual information!"

She walked closer, backing Ash up against the kitchen wall. Sweat began pouring down his face.

"Cmon, Ash," May pried, "it's only the opinion column. Plus, it should help you with your writing."

Ash coughed worriedly, his eyes searching hers for any source of weakness he could exploit to possibly get him out of his current predicament. When he found none, he turned to Dawn, who seemed to be maliciously enjoying this. Pikachu, suspiciously, was nowhere to be found.

He returned his eyes to May. She seemed so honest; so desperate. She clutched her phone tightly with both hands, begging wordlessly for him to accept her offer.

He may have been reluctant, but how could he turn her down?

"Fine," he admitted defeat, "I'll do it. But only that editorial, alright?"

May squealed in delight and clutched herself around him tightly. "Thank you, thank you! You don't know how much this means to me and the company!"

Ash leaned his head back into the wall and stared at his ceiling, blushing as she pressed her face into his chest. If she did this more often, he wouldn't mind getting used to it.

Wait, what?

Dawn clapped in the background. "Yay! For the first time in his life, Ash has a job!"

Daggers were stared that fateful day in Pallet, Kanto. Poisoned daggers.

* * *

-A Few Weeks Later-

* * *

The first winter snowfall had arrived for Kanto. It was an odd sight often captured by local photographers. The ocean waters, normally associated with heat and warm weather in the summer, were now frozen for miles out. Sand meshed with ice and stretched outward like a gigantic beached Wailord.

May had taken a liking to Kanto winters. Of course, the change from sunny and humid Hoenn summers to frigid cold Kanto winters was not too easy - she often openly cursed nearby Mount Silver - but living next to the local Ash had helped her ease in.

Dawn had since left to return back to the distant Twinleaf Community College. She had openly stated the comedy of the fact that she was leaving a cold, snowy region for a snowier, colder region.

Ash Ketchum watched the mystical white flakes plummet from his second story bedroom window, a laptop on his lap and May on his bed, babbling incessantly about something or other. She'd taken to coming over once every day for what she called "May's Story-Time" which was basically her excuse to talk to Ash about things for no reason other than that she wanted to.

Normally, Ash didn't mind, and he didn't today either. It was just that he was incredibly focused on what he was writing.

"Dear Natalie," the entry had started, "first off, thank you for coming to the editorial. I find that advice from other writers helps a lot when you're in a slump."

He had received his third request in the editorial in only two weeks. It had affected his writing, just like May had said, albeit slowly. He hardly considered a three hundred word chapter a step up from where he was before.

However, that one simple chapter has apparently left a mark on May. She was halfway between reading Ash's first draft and talking up a snowstorm about contests or something else. Reading the chapter seemed to ease her lately.

The full chapter took him a day to write, adding in the expense of May being there and giving him perfect inspiration through stories of a young man she used to know named Drew. This man was either two things to Ash's story - the perfect stereotypical antagonist, or a fine example of a protagonist's best friend.

He allotted for the more desirable friend of the antagonist after a careful twenty second conversation with May that involved a lot of storytelling and a lot of faded, blushing memories.

He sneezed, freezing May from the story she had told him yet two hours ago. A soft look from him gave her the incentive to continue, and Ash felt right again listening to her fantasize about storied from the past. While it might not seem like it, he did listen.

His fingers skated across the keyboard again. "I noticed two things in particular from your slump: one is that you are doing a lot of schoolwork. Work, or writing work especially, can deal blows to your creativity. I also noticed that you aren't really doing anything creative or watching any TV shows. What I would suggest is getting all your work done as fast as you can so you can get that creative spark going again. See if that helps."

He signed it off with his signature and sent it in to the newspaper via email. Reclining in his chair, he swiveled around to meet May, who was staring at him with a smile on her face. He couldn't help but grin back. "What?"

She smiled, pulling up her phone. "Christmas is this week. Are you getting me anything?"

Ash laughed, swiveling back to make sure his Black Friday deals had been deleted from his history. "What would tip you off to that?"

May twirled her hair adorably before continuing. "Hmmm. I don't know... maybe because I live next to you, am kinda your friend, and gave you your first paying job in years?"

"That'd about do it," Ash capped, smiling.

May stood up, sauntering over to the door. Sighing, she added, "I want to go shopping for you, but it's too cold outside for me."

Ash checked the thermometer on the laptop, which blinked a steady thirty-three degrees back at him. "Uh-huh. Well, I'll see what I can do soon. It's almost four, though."

She harrumphed disappointedly. "Yeah. I should probably go. I'll be back tomorrow, though. Earlier, okay?"

He grinned. "Sure thing, May."

She giggled, hurrying over in an adorable way before quickly pecking him on the cheek and fleeing with a wave of her hand.

Ash would have loved to use the word "stunned" in that situation. He stared at his bedroom door for nearly thirty seconds before returning to the land of the living. Shaking himself back to reality, he rubbed his cheek and tried to remember if she'd done that before.

Despite her bubbly personality... no. She had never done that before.

His face heated up with a smile he looked out the window. Maybe better things were coming his way.

* * *

The next afternoon slowed the snowfall to more of a drizzle-style than a Christmassy type. Ash found that his black coat had to be reacquainted with his blue jacket after some time.

May had yet to show up, and it was nearing ten, so Ash decided to take it upon himself to figure out what was keeping her up. A liar May was not, and her orderly style led him to believe that she wasn't keen on leaving things out of schedule.

As he exited his house and locked the door behind him, he considered taking his car instead. The air was chillier than average, a surefire sign that exposure for too long would mean blue lips and hands frozen in a cupped position.

He shivered before crunching his way over the inch of snow on his front lawn and over to May's house. Each breath he took clouded the air around him, making it seem steely and rough. As much as he despised the amount of snow he was getting, a quick chirp from the winter birds brought him back to loving the season of giving.

A step up from the wet, soft ground and into wood and concrete, Ash entered the girl's porch and knocked carefully on the door. He waited carefully, his regrowing facial hair guarding him from the cold that most definitely would have had his face incapacitated by now.

The flurry of footsteps from down the hallway stairs and a quick little yelp of surprise from the young woman inside made Ash smile. For some reason her ditzy charm gave him a reason to expose his mouth to the wretched air. Or something like that.

May opened the door, hardly dressed in a red tank top and some biker shorts. Her cheeks were already rosy from the cold she hadn't entered. "Hi! Hi! Come on in."

Ash eyed her confusedly before entering the house. It was warmer than usual, Ash accompanying the fact to the crackling fireplace in the illuminated living room. The room was a mess, with random pictures of landscapes and pictures for the paper scattered around the floor.

"Sorry I didn't show up," May apologized, picking up some polaroid photos from the ground. Ash couldn't tell what they were, but whatever they were, she didn't want him seeing them. She hurriedly placed them in a photocase and latched the lid.

She turned to him, a few strands of unruly hair finding their way onto her face. She flicked them away.

"It's alright," Ash answered, following her into the room, "but I was starting to get a little worried. Thought you'd been snowed in."

She giggled, taking another handful of photos, these for Ash to see. "Just about. Here, look at these."

Ash looked over her shoulder to see a few beautifully shot pictures of many different things. One was a nicely shot landscape of the frozen ocean with a yacht that hadn't been docked before the ice came in encased in the deep ice.

She flicked through a few more, most pictures of previous stories for the paper that Ash recognized.

"You can take off your coat now." May pointed out, cheeks still blushing red. Ash gave her an embarrassed smile, removing the article of snow protection and slinging it lazily over one of her ottomans. She obviously wouldn't mind, given the state of the room.

May decided she'd need to explain herself. "This is all just me emptying out my camera and sorting all the photos."

Ash nodded, observing that the unruly mess was sort of sorted already, with many different piles being sorted into piles with similar polaroids to them.

May, watching his eyes, grabbed his hand. Confused, the man looked up to see what she was doing. "Actually, Ash, I didn't feel like visiting you today because I need the confidence my own house gives me."

Ash watched her bite her lip, still very much puzzled as to what she was leading on to. His mind struck something, but lead a wave of dread through him. "Oh, May, did you get fired?"

She shook her head violently. "No, no. That's not it at all."

Ash let out a temporary sigh of relief. "Well, that's good–"

"Wait." May had grabbed his other hand now, leading him to the kitchen. Blindly, Ash followed, thoroughly without understanding of the situation.

She stopped, turning to face him. "Last night. When I kissed you."

Ash was instantly reminded of the moment of the night previous. His face heated up, hidden by his dark half-beard.

Her breathing steadied. "I... Ash, I think I'm in love with you."

Ash had no idea what to think. Of course, he'd kept the thought distant in the back of his head that the reason why this woman was around him so often was because she'd wanted to date him, but he'd never wanted to jump to conclusions. That had got him too many times in his past relationships.

Starting to tear up, she continued. "I kept telling myself that I didn't love you... that you wouldn't love me back..."

Ash moved his hands to her face, her tiny, soft hands still firmly attached to his wrists.

"I... I kissed you because of the spur of the moment, I'm sorry Ash. I shouldn't have done that, and..."

He searched her eyes carefully, waiting for them to finally his. They didn't for a long time, still stuck on her bare feet. Eventually, after a few choked sobs, they finally did.

Ash took the time to think. Memories of this girl lined up, and within seconds his thoughts had aligned to complete his feelings for this girl. Everything made sense. The thoughts about her, the weird feeling in his gut every time she giggled, his constant tripping over his own feet.

He didn't apologize. He didn't even let her apologize.

He ended her tears by finally returning her kiss from earlier.


	9. Chapter 9: Some Serious Thinking

**Here's the full Chapter Nine. Again, I apologize for the quick way the last chapter ended, but it was just me sucking at cliffhangers again. Nothing to worry about. It all eases up from here.**

 **A bit of a warning, though—mentions of alcoholism up ahead. I'm not making light of it, quite the opposite actually.**

 **Enjoy Chapter Nine—Chapter Ten is on the way.**

* * *

Ash mentally kicked himself at the sudden realization.

He should have known by the pictures scattered around the floor. She never was that unkempt when it came to photographs.

He should have known from the glass bottles that had been poorly hidden behind her couch.

He should have known from the far off look in her eyes.

He definitely knew by the time he tasted her lips.

May Maple was very drunk.

He squinted his eyes a bit, thinking for a few seconds as she sloppily fell off his face and stumbled into the counter.

"May? Are you drunk?" He asked worriedly.

She raised a hand in her defense. "No..."

He had to give it to her. The girl was very clever, even when intoxicated. She didn't even sound that drunk, in fact, she sounded perfectly fine and coherent. But by the way she slowly walked and had a lack of enthusiasm, he knew that she wasn't herself. She was also fairly nice looking when she was impaired...

That and she confessed something to him that may or may not have been true. Ash's face burned at the realization of what he himself said after that.

"May, you can't do this..." Ash reprimanded, watching her slump down into the couch.

"Why not?" She combatted.

He glanced at two bottles on the counter, almost disgustedly shoving them into the trash bin. "Because you aren't competent when you're drunk."

She looked confused for a few seconds, taking much longer to come to conclusions. "But Ash, I love you."

He shook his head violently. "That's, uh - no! No you don't! You're just drunk!"

She seemed taken aback. Checking herself, she raised her arms. "No I'm not!"

A hiccup betrayed her. Ash groaned. Embarrassedly, he grabbed her hand and led her to the door, giving her snow clothes that she sloppily put on. He stared as she had trouble zipping up her coat.

He was surprised that she didn't inquire as to where he was going with her as he led her to his house, opening the door and ushering her inside, away from the cold.

When he checked her eyes again, she seemed incredibly confused. "How did we get here?"

He gestured to the couch. "You're staying here until you're ready to go back home."

"Noooo..." She whined childishly, but complied anyway as she fell face-first onto the leather couch with baited breathing. Pikachu stared confusedly from the corner.

"Yeah, bud. She's gonna have a helluva hangover tomorrow." He replied to the confused mouse. Glancing towards his sleeping neighbor, he noticed that she had already fallen asleep, coat and all.

He groaned. "May, you can't sleep in that." She didn't reply; he knew she wouldn't. She was asleep, after all. Carefully, he sat her upright. The girl didn't budge at all. He then began his surgery with a cringe.

Starting with the zipper, Ash slowly grasped the metal zipper and pulled down. The motion pulled the woman in front of him forward a bit, and her face slammed onto his shoulder. Staring upward through a burning blush, he cursed aloud, using his left hand to slowly put her back against the couch. Holding her against the sofa so she wouldn't fall forward again, he finally unzipped her leather-brown felty coat. Revealed underneath was her lazily put on tank top, with no straps of underwear visible. He chose to ignore that little detail.

He tugged a bit at her sleeves, coming to a dreading realization that they wouldn't come off unless he forced her arms to move. Huffing, he stood up, holding her arms above her head. She made a sort of groan, unhappy at being moved so suddenly. Ash panicked, swiftly removing her naked arms from her coat. She made a silent noise of disapproval before slumping over on her side.

She had stuck to her athletic shorts during the frigid expedition outside, a point which Ash was happy she was drunk for. He studied her closely, rolling some hair in her face back. He frowned.

"Hopefully you won't remember what I said when the hangover hits." The sound of his own voice surprised him. It was easy to admit that it was weird to be talking to someone who was fast asleep, and even weirder, he realized with a jerk, to be creeping on her during said sleep. He shook his head violently at the thought.

Stepping back, he felt pity for the cold sleeping girl. Carefully tossing a quilt over her, he trudged upstairs back to his writing room to think.

Shutting the door behind him, he stared back up into the slowly rotating ceiling fan's blades.

"Did I jump to a conclusion I shouldn't have?"

He stared at his hands through the void. "I'd always thought she was pretty, and she was really a great girl... but why would I just let all that happen in the span of twenty seconds? It... it was too rushed."

He closed his eyes, frowning at himself as he drifted off.

"I don't know if I love her at all. It was probably just the spur of the moment. She doesn't even like me, probably, just a side effect of downing so many wines."

* * *

"AAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!"

He jerked awake, eyes wide at the sound of the scream. Scrambling out of bed and tripping over a disgruntled Pikachu on the floor, he threw the door open and fell down the stairs.

He wasn't prepared for what he saw next.

May sat seated on the floor, staring at her hands incredulously. An impeccable scarlet blush laced her cheeks as her worried eyes frantically searched the room for... something. She stopped when her searchlight gaze met a confused Ash still standing like a doofus on the staircase.

"Ash!" She whined, "How did I get here?"

He shrugged a little. "May, you downed at least four bottles of cheap champagne and something else I couldn't decipher from the title." He held up a bottle she had apparently smuggled in that seemed oddly German in translation.

She cupped her head in her hands, sighing a sound that could have possibly been frustration, embarrassment, or both.

"I'm sorry for whatever I did when I was drunk, Ash. I've never been drunk before—I haven't even drank before..." She admitted softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

A sudden pit fell in Ash's stomach as he felt the urge to rush over; to comfort her, hold her, anything. Instead, he stood like an idiot above her, darting his eyes between her and his yellow companion who stood shrugging in the corner. Eventually, he took a deep breath and manned up enough to step over and explain.

"It's... it's fine, May." He answered, kneeling in front of her and rubbing her back while she hid her head in her knees, barely above sobbing in her place.

"No, it's not." May burst through muffled sobs, still not raising her head. "I-I didn't mean to. I mean, I just had a few for the first time, and then they turned into more, a-and..."

He shushed her softly, embracing her tightly as she broke down in his arms. "It's okay, honestly. I know it's not a habit or a problem, and I'll make sure it never is."

She raised her head, exposing her matted hair and red eyes. She looked (and probably felt) like an eyesore. Her voice was quiet. "Really?"

He nodded, backing away while his cheeks lit up again. "Yeah. I'll make sure you don't have more than one when we go out. O-or, y'know, just when I come over, or, like whenever you feel like—"

She almost tackled him with another hug, smiling profusely through her laughter. "No, silly. I'll invite you over."

Ash playfully pushed her off, laughing to disguise his obvious attraction and sitting cross-legged across from her, waiting for any hint of a conversation to pick up.

May caught on to his implications when he raised his eyebrows. "Oh, um, yeah, so, what exactly did I... say, when I was, uh, drunk?" She rubbed the back of her head and looked into her cross-legged lap awkwardly.

Ash really wanted his face to not be as visible. "Well, ah, you see..."

Ash debated heavily with himself over the span of three or four seconds. If he told her, she might get angry or feel awkward and end their friendship. Or maybe she'd just not say anything to him for the rest of his life. Then he'd never get to figure out his feelings for her.

He quickly made his decision. "Screw it... May, you told me you loved me when you were drunk."

There was an awful silence as he couldn't bring himself to look at her. May felt the same way, turning away from him as she recollected her own distraught thoughts. The only sound in the room was that of the old grandfather clock in the darkened corner, ticking constantly as though it were disappointed in the two young adults.

"I'm... sorry about that." She finally answered after a while. "I, uh... Yeah."

Ash nodded, not giving her a look. The blush from earlier was completely gone, replaced with a cold rush of fear and a pit in his stomach.

"I guess... I guess I was rushing a few things." She reiterated, staring at her lap and not willing herself to look back at him again. Ash, by now, had finally looked back towards his neighbor and saw her look. Again, he wanted to comfort her and out his arms around her, but at this point, that was completely inappropriate. Instead, he waited, expecting the worst and a cold hard slap as she left his life forever.

"But... maybe I wasn't completely wrong."

He jerked, looking at her again through squinted eyes. She raised her head up, laughing at his confused expression. "Yeah. I mean, I'd like to try it out. I feel like we're good friends. I mean, how long has it been since we first met? And we're already this close? Agh, uh, not too close, but... you get it."

He laughed, sitting straight again. "Yeah. Close enough."

She returned to tapping her chin. "But yeah. I'd be willing to try it out. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been thinking about it recently, but I don't think I meant 'love' love."

He smiled, resting his chin on his fist. "Yeah. I figured that much."

She scowled at him playfully before rocking in her sitting stance. "So... you wanna try this out?"

A wave of relief came over him. She still wanted to be friends, and now he could figure out if he really loved her or not while she figured out the same thing. As far as he was concerned, this was a win-win situation. "Sure thing."

She grinned at him, standing up and taking her coat. "Well, see ya tomorrow."

Ash stood up, concern on his face as she walked outside without even putting her coat on. Before he could rush over her and tell her, she ran outside into the nine p.m. night air. She returned within seconds.

"Or maybe tomorrow morning," she laughed heartily, letting the goosebumps on her exposed arms and legs tell the story for her.

* * *

"And that's when the realization hit Carter—the wizard was evil."

As finished his thirtieth chapter with a click of the enter button on his laptop. He'd gotten a lot done that day since May had cleared things up that evening. Of course, thirteen 5,000-word chapters were nothing for him back in the day. But now, as he checked his alarm clock that beamed a proud 4:30 a.m. back at him, he rolled back from his desk and flopped lazily onto his bed with a rub of his sandy eyes. It took a huge toll on him.

He gazed up at the black ceiling. A smile filled his face as he rethought the events of the day.

"Good thing she didn't ask what I said when she was drunk." He murmured softly before sleep overtook him.

* * *

 **I bet half of you are excited right now. Next chapter comes out before Spring Break ends. The end is coming up soon, so get ready for the finale.**


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